


The On-Screen Torrid Love Affair of Hugo and Ayr

by taykash



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, M/M, Marriage Proposal, porn stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:41:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24483694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taykash/pseuds/taykash
Summary: Hugo and Ayr are two of the hottest stars produced by Aubin Productions, a porn studio specializing in content that features loving couples. When the camera turns off, they return to being Felix and Ferdinand, coworkers who bicker over whether they're in porn or in erotica, and go home to the actual loves of their lives.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Ferdinand von Aegir/Dorothea Arnault, Ferdinand von Aegir/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 3
Kudos: 81





	The On-Screen Torrid Love Affair of Hugo and Ayr

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I actually finished this. It's taken me a few months to get it out even though it was all in my head because I translate crappy romance comic books for a living and I'm out of words at the end of the day, plus I haven't written anything this long in literal years. Thank you to M for the beta! You da best. 
> 
> Also, sorry that I managed to write a fic about porn stars and kept it softcore. The ability to write hardcore sex left me a long time ago.

Hugo’s dark eyelashes whisper against his reddened cheeks as he gasps into Ayr’s kiss, Ayr’s strong hands tangling in his loose hair as they move in sync.

Ayr’s long red hair clings to his skin with sweat and Hugo noses it away from his neck as he trails love marks that make continuous _oh-oh-oh_ s escape from between Ayr’s lips.

Their muscled thighs stick together as Ayr rocks back and forth in Hugo’s lap, his rhythm growing erratic and his sounds louder.

"Together," Hugo murmurs, a low purr against Ayr’s collarbone as he tightens his hands around Ayr’s waist. All Ayr can do is nod as he presses himself against Hugo, his eyes screwed shut. Hugo pulls Ayr’s face to his, their kiss deep and hot as Ayr releases over Hugo’s belly. 

"Did you…?" Ayr gasps out, his forehead dropping to Hugo’s shoulder.

"Yeah." Hugo strokes Ayr’s back softly before lifting him out of his lap as he pulls out. Ayr lies back on the white sheets, spreading out his fiery hair over the pillow like a halo as he stretches luxuriously. Hugo steps away for a few moments before coming back cleaned up with a damp cloth in his hand, which he uses gently on Ayr’s skin to wipe away any remaining mess before tossing it away haphazardly. Ayr makes a noise of consternation, but Hugo slides back into the bed and any protests die in the warm hold of Hugo’s arms. 

Ayr snuggles into Hugo and their black and red strands of their hair mix together on the pillow as though they're merging into one. Hugo presses a kiss to Ayr's forehead before they both close their eyes, letting each other's warmth carry them to sleep.

"Cut!" The director calls, and Hugo and Ayr immediately sit up, shaking the aches out of their arms and shoulders as their personas fade and they return to being Felix and Ferdinand. Having to angle themselves naturally for the camera means they end up having to hold themselves in strange positions that make them ache, but they’re professionals so their discomfort can’t be seen on camera (unless it’s that kind of a scene).

“Another fine shoot,” Ferdinand declares, stretching his muscled arms up towards the ceiling. “The fans love it when you’re gentle.” 

Felix grunts, already standing up from the bed and taking the water-filled sports bottle and robe that a nearby assistant hands to him. "I guess." The short robe is a silky dark blue with "Hugo" embroidered on the back in silver. He pulls a hair tie out of one of the pockets and quickly gathers his hair into a messy topknot.

Behind him, Ferdinand is sliding on his own white robe with "Ayr" stitched in curly red cursive that blares across his shoulder blades.

Felix has seen this sight so many times it's burned into his memory. He doesn't have to look to see that Ferdinand's water is expensive mineral water bottled in glass or that his slippers are made from deer leather and rabbit fur while Felix is satisfied with tap water and cheap plastic flip flops that squeak when he walks.

"Tomorrow is the party to celebrate our new photobook going on sale," Ferdinand comments as they make their way to the makeshift dressing rooms. Today they shot in a rented beachfront house that has big glass windows and too much white rattan furniture, and their dressing rooms are down the hall from the master bedroom. "Are you coming with Sylvain?"

"He won't let me skip," Felix complains, his flip flops slapping against the tile floor. "He never does."

"Well, we should be celebrated for our hard work making art," Ferdinand replies, and Felix snorts. Ferdinand has the gall to look offended.  
"We're porn stars." Felix's voice is flat. They've had this argument far too many times.

"We are _erotica actors_ ," Ferdinand insists, "who make beautiful art together."

"If that's what you want to call coming all over my stomach." Felix rolls his eyes and finally reaches his dressing room, going inside and shutting the door before Ferdinand can respond.

He and Ferdinand are one of the most popular duos under Aubin Productions. They’re marketed as two men genuinely in love, and the hazy filters and artistic cinematography used in their films made Ferdinand quite proud of their status as makers of erotica instead of pornography (frankly, Felix doesn't see a difference and doesn't care). Sometimes they film DVD extras like interviews where they talk about their relationship or present some scenes from their shared life that are meant to reveal their private sides -- but it’s all just acting. Ayr and Hugo are always sweet and gentle with each other, leading to a sizable fan base who watches them obsessively, having fallen in love with their love.

Felix had been waiting by the van that would take them back to the city for more than ten minutes by the time Ferdinand finally waltzes out of the house, clad in boat shoes and navy shorts patterned with flamingos. His mirrored sunglasses glint green in the harsh light.

" _Finally_ ," Felix groans. "Why does it always take you so long to get ready to go home?"

"You know I have a routine I must follow," Ferdinand bristles, climbing into the van after their manager unlocks the door. "Also Thea had left me a voicemail."

"She does that every time, too." Felix always wondered what their fans would do if they found out that bisexual Ferdinand always goes home to his lovely wife, while the other redhead warming Felix's bed is far rougher around the edges than Ayr could ever be.

The bruises on Felix's hips twinge as he gets himself comfortable in the car. Sylvain had left them last night, which had earned Felix a chewing out from both the makeup artist and the director, though Felix couldn't really bring himself to care. 

Ferdinand could claim that they made love on camera, but if that was true, then Felix far prefers fucking Sylvain. 

The trip back to the train station in the city takes over an hour, so Felix sleeps most of the way there, curled up in a corner of the backseat. They had left before dawn to film in that soft morning light that appears before the sun wipes the sleep off its face, so Felix had gotten only maybe two hours of sleep. 

Their manager calls out to them from the driver’s seat when they’re about a mile away from the train station. Felix needs the time to rouse himself, massage the wrinkles from the seat back out of his cheeks. The station is the city’s main terminal, a grand feat of architecture made of brick and glass, and the plaza is always full of people heading to the different parts of their day.

He and Ferdinand were always dropped off at different exits of the station. While they may be porn stars, their fake relationship is too important to their images to cause a scandal prompted by some fan catching them leaving for different train lines without so much as a hug goodbye. After all, Ayr and Hugo would never part without some kind of tender touch between them first.

Once Felix is finally on the train home, he stands by the door, shifting from foot to foot. His place is only about a 15-minute ride away, a distance he can walk, but he’s anxious to get home. The sun pounds down and makes him sweat even as he keeps his hoodie up -- sometimes Felix feels like he burns just from thinking about the sun. Bruises could be covered with makeup but sunburns required a change of direction and scenario, and he considers himself too much of a professional for that.

His apartment is blessedly cool from the air conditioning when he opens the door, and the blast of wind on his hot face feels better than the orgasm he had just a few hours ago.

"Hey, gorgeous." Sylvain pads down the hallway in just his boxers, a half-eaten ham sandwich in one hand. Felix wrinkles his nose, knowing this hello kiss is going to taste like lunch and maybe a little whiskey if Sylvain is _truly_ taking advantage of his day off, but he would never stop Sylvain from kissing him hello. It feels like Sylvain is marking him, wiping off any remaining trace of Ferdinand that a shower couldn't quite clean. Sylvain supported Felix's career even before they got together, so Felix puts up with the deli meat kisses.

“You finished fast today,” Sylvain notes, following Felix back to the living room. Felix throws his hoodie onto the floor and tosses himself on the couch, his eyes following Sylvain as he picks up everything Felix leaves behind like a Hansel who should know better.

“It was just an additional scene for the next DVD and not the main event, so we didn’t have too many takes.” Sylvain puts Felix’s things on their dining table, then sits down on the couch, sliding Felix’s legs into his lap before continuing to eat his sandwich.

“Cool. That means we have the rest of the day to ourselves,” Sylvain says wickedly, his free hand rubbing idly at Felix’s knee.

“After a nap,” Felix groans, tossing his arm over his eyes. “Let me rest.”

“Strong Felix needing rest? I definitely tired you out last night.” Sylvain waggles his eyebrows and Felix kicks him hard in the thigh at the smugness in his voice.

“Fine,” Sylvain winces, almost dropping the rest of his sandwich. “We should at least pick out what we’re going to wear to the party tomorrow.”

“I’ll wear what I always wear.”

“Yeah, because both Yuri and Ferdinand will let you get away with the same black shirt and joggers that you always wear. It’s only a private company party where Hugo and Ayr will have to take photos celebrating their work,” Sylvain snorts. “They’d kill _me_ for not stopping you.”

"It's just some photo op as usual. I'll wear a turtleneck and black pants." Felix has never really cared about dressing up for these things; after all, Hugo was known more for what he looked like out of his clothes than in them.

"I wish you'd show off your collarbones more," Sylvain replies wistfully, wiping the crumbs off his face. "You look nice in button-ups."

"...I'll think about it." Felix can rarely turn down a request from Sylvain.

Felix falls asleep on the couch as he mentally runs through his closet, trying to think of tomorrow's outfit as Sylvain massages his calves.

The next day, Felix arrives at the venue in a black button-down opened up to his chest. Sword earrings dotted with blue gems glitter in his ears and his long hair is tied in a loose braid and thrown over his shoulder.

"You look good enough to eat," Sylvain murmurs into his ear when they walk in. Felix rolls his eyes; it's not like they didn’t get ready together. Sylvain has a possessive streak in him, one that tends to come out in situations like these. It’s a testament to how secure their relationship is that he’s not threatened by Felix’s job.

Ferdinand strolls up to them, Dorothea's arm in his. Felix honestly doesn't know where Ferdinand buys his formalwear and why Dorothea lets him dress like this - his long, fiery hair is loose and wavy around his shoulders as usual, but between the loose white shirt that ties down the front with brown leather cord (alluringly left open to show off his collarbone) and the high-waisted black velvet pants, he looks like he was cast as a vampire in a high school play. Felix half-expects him to pull out some fake blood for a dramatic photo later.

"As beautiful as always, Dorothea," Sylvain declares, giving her a kiss hello. She really is stunning in her flowing burgundy dress, her hair artfully styled to frame her face. Felix doesn't understand how she sticks by Ferdinand; she's as down-to-earth as Ferdinand is pompous.

"I love your earrings, Fe," Dorothea says, leaning in to touch one of the little swords where it dangles from Felix's earlobe.

"They were a birthday gift," Felix replies, purposely not looking at Sylvain because he knows he looks smug - they were part of a big gift that Sylvain had put together that included a silver chain harness that draped over Felix's shoulders, chest, and thighs. Theoretically, the set was meant to be worn out as fashion accessories, but Felix had chosen to wear them to bed that night. Sylvain has never stopped gloating about how great a gift-giver he is since.

"The two of you have to go for your photo op, don't you?" Dorothea asks, glancing over at the rest of the crowd. As a private party for those in the company only, Dorothea and Sylvain were able to attend as plus ones, but Hugo and Ayr were still required to publish photos celebrating their photobook together.

Felix huffs and then groans when he sees the owner of the studio, Yuri, beckoning them. "You called it into existence," he accuses Dorothea, then grabs Ferdinand by the wrist. "Come on."

"See you later, my love," Ferdinand presses a kiss to Dorothea's cheek before letting Felix drag him away to where Yuri is waiting.

"This is always so weird to watch," Sylvain laughs a little as Dorothea moves to stand by his side. As comrades brought together by their partners' strange jobs, their friendship is a source of comfort at these events.

"Felix is such a good actor," Dorothea shakes her head as Felix's face changes talking to Yuri. His expression softens and he takes Ferdinand's hand, dropping a chaste kiss on it, but both Dorothea and Sylvain can hear the clicks of the cameras held by Aubin Production's marketing staff.

Yuri steps into the middle of the room, his presence dominating the atmosphere and making everyone fall into a hush. He's not a particularly big man - in fact, he's young and quite pretty - but Sylvain knows that his silver tongue and self-confidence has gotten him through many closed doors.

"Welcome, everyone, to our release party for Hugo and Ayr's new photobook, _Fire and Ice_. You're all familiar with their work, so I won't babble on too long. Instead, I'll let the cover speak for itself." Yuri walks over to a display panel hidden by a dark cloth near the dessert table. Felix and Ferdinand follow, their fingers loosely intertwined.

Yuri simply smirks before he pulls the cloth off, and the revealed photo takes Sylvain’s breath away.

Ferdinand and Felix are sitting cross-legged in front of each other shirtless, their foreheads touching even though they're both facing down with their eyes closed. Their hair has been swept over their opposite shoulders and braided together so it hangs down behind them, an interlocked rope of red and black holding them together. The light around them is pale and soft and they look almost ethereal.

Sylvain drags his eyes away from the photo, watching Felix and Ferdinand smile softly at each other as their work is finally revealed.

"The composition is lovely," Sylvain hears from his left and he almost jumps before he realizes it's just Ignatz, one of the other actors in the studio.

"How are you doing, Ig?" Sylvain claps a hand on his shoulder, ignoring Ignatz's slight wince. Ignatz mostly partners up with another Aubin actor named Ashe in a similar way to Ferdinand and Felix, though they cater to an audience clamoring for flexible twinks. Every time Sylvain saw either of them, he always marveled at the fact that these mild-mannered, soft-spoken men did porn.

Then again, no one would ever be able to guess that Ferdinand did porn -- _erotica_ \-- so there really wasn't anything that marked someone as part of the industry. After all, Raphael and Balthus were also in this agency and paired together because they were both bears. Yuri liked matching aesthetics.

"Oh, same old," Ignatz shrugs, smiling as Ferdinand and Felix share a chaste kiss for the cameras. "We're working on our own photobook, but theirs always looks so much more relaxed than ours."

"Yours tend to be quite acrobatic, don't they?" Dorothea asks, sympathy in her voice. "I don't think these two could get into some of the poses you and Ashe do."

"It's all because Ashe was flexible in the first place," Ignatz sighs. "I had to start doing daily yoga to keep up, but I suppose it's healthy for me."

"Ferdie told me you had a strict training schedule," Dorothea nods. "He said he admired you for working so hard for your art."

Ignatz blushes and scratches his head. "I don't know if I'd go that far...but I suppose he has a point in a way. I know how he feels about this job. It's great to see how proud he is of it, though I know he doesn't like how Felix talks about it."

"Fe is practical," Sylvain shrugs, watching Felix and Ferdinand as the cameras leave and their hands part. It seems as ifFelix is almost physically shaking off Hugo's mannerisms. "He doesn't care for pretty words and euphemisms."

Felix makes his way back to Sylvain while Ferdinand stays behind, greeting other people in the company. It's a small party, mostly composed of other actors, behind-the-scenes staff, and the marketing team, but Felix doesn't care to chitchat with his coworkers.

"I want a copy of your book," Sylvain tells Felix when he slides back into the circle, carrying two drinks.

"Pay for it," Felix responds, handing Sylvain a glass of red wine.

"Ferdie always gets me one," Dorothea points out, smirking over a glass of dry white wine she snagged from a nearby waiter carrying a tray. Felix is holding the same glass in his own hand and Sylvain can smell the floral notes from the drink wafting out -- Yuri always makes sure to impress, and the wine glasses are thin, wide, and clearly expensive.

"Wait, really? Felix always makes me order one myself!" Sylvain looks at Felix with his eyes wide, mouth slightly open in mock-offense.

"If I wanted to work for free, I'd volunteer to do some good in the world like building homes for the homeless," he responds, looking at Sylvain right in the eyes.

Ignatz looks between Felix and Sylvain, his whole body radiating awkwardness. "I...I think I'm going to go say hi to Caspar," he says before slipping away.

"Oh, man, Caspar's here?" Sylvain cranes his neck after Ignatz, looking around the room for that familiar shock of blue hair. "Does that mean Linhardt is, too?"

"Linny's never coming back, he said," Dorothea informs him, swirling her drink in her hand to enjoy the fragrance.

"A shame," Ferdinand says as he steps in from behind her. "The single video Caspar convinced him to be in ended up being legendary. Yuri keeps trying everything he can to make Linhardt come back, but he turns him down every time saying it's too much work."

"It is," Felix responds, groaning. "They want so much of us even though all we do is fuck on camera."

Sylvain knows that Felix only says that so he can make Ferdinand gasp so loudly and impressively that it's a feat he doesn't open a hole in a lung.

"Why do you always disparage our art like this?" Ferdinand demands, his cheeks red with embarrassment.

"The usual argument," Dorothea says, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to go chat with Yuri."

The rest of the night passes the way it usually does. Ferdinand and Felix bicker until Felix decides to ignore him and Ferdinand gets frustrated, and Dorothea and Sylvain flit around the room like social butterflies, greeting the Aubin staff like old friends.

Sylvain has been Felix's plus-one to these events even before they had gotten together. Felix is open about his job to his friends now, but for a long time, he had kept it from everyone except Sylvain until he started having to come to these parties for photo ops. He couldn't stand being there by himself. The pressures were too heavy, and the desire for _Hugo_ instead of _Felix_ too much. As a result, Sylvain has known a lot of the veteran staff at the studio for years now. The trust Sylvain has in the staff is a big reason he doesn't mind Felix's job; he knows Felix will come home safe and in one piece, no matter what kind of scene or situation they film.

They go home in a taxi paid by Yuri, Felix and Sylvain's hands roaming over every inch of one another's bodies in the backseat, tipsy on wine but drunk off each other. They stumble into their apartment, Felix's hair tie long gone; Sylvain curses as he almost trips trying to toe off his shoes, hands still gripping Felix's hips.

Felix laughs, his heart in his throat as he helps Sylvain right himself, pulling the taller man backward down the hall towards their bedroom. So much of his work is calculated -- calculated angles, calculated poses, calculated scenes intended to titillate and excite and arouse as much as possible -- that little blunders or imperfections in these moments that he shares with Sylvain make his heart race. He feels like he falls even deeper in love with Sylvain's humanity every time.

Sylvain has never been told in detail about how Felix works. He knows the gist, obviously, and often sees the results, but he’s mostly ignorant of the process and that’s fine, especially when Felix's eyes are molten gold in the dim light of the streetlamp angling through their bedroom window and Sylvain feels like he's melting in their heat. It's all he can do to rip off the nice shirt he's wearing before he meets Felix on their shared bed where they drink their fill of each other like starved men.

\----

Despite everything he said, Felix does give Sylvain a copy of the photobook. Sylvain thumbs through it one day when Felix is out of the house, glasses perched on his nose. Unlike their films, Felix and Ferdinand's photobooks were legitimately categorized as art, giving Ferdinand's insistence on being called _erotica actors_ more weight.

Sylvain runs his fingers over a two-page spread of Ferdinand stretched out leisurely over a large bed, white silk sheets low enough to display the V-line below his waist. Felix's head is nestled in the cradle of Ferdinand's hips, a small smile playing on his lips and adoration in his eyes as he looks up over Ferdinand's body.

Sylvain would be lying if he said that seeing these expressions on Felix's face directed towards another man didn't bother him sometimes. Felix's role as Hugo should win him awards; in front of a camera, the furrows of his face smoothed away and his eyes changed in ways they never did off-camera.

Sylvain sometimes had to remind himself that Felix didn't express his actual love in overt expressions of affection or flowery words.Felix's real love is quiet, hidden in his actions. Felix is a difficult book to read and Sylvain is the only one with the dictionary to decipher it wholly.

There are some solo shots of Felix in the book, such as one where his hands are cuffed to a headboard with leather cuffs and soft blue silk is tied over his eyes, but Sylvain likes the close-ups of his hands the most. Often, they are caressing some part of Ferdinand, and while Sylvain knows that the body beneath those hands scarred from years of martial arts isn't his, he can still sense their gentle touch. Even when he and Sylvain are rough with each other, Felix's calloused hands are always warm against Sylvain's freckled skin. Even a slight touch from those hands drives him wild.

Felix is dotted with constellations of moles beneath his clothes but many of them get edited out of his photos, something that gives Sylvain mixed feelings. He gazes at a photo of Felix taking a shower: Felix's back is to the camera, his hair piled on his head as he shampoos.The water streaks paths down his toned arms and muscled back, and curls around his beautiful ass, but Sylvain can see where the moles have been erased. He has a mental catalog of Felix's moles that he likes to count when they're in bed together, and some of his favorites, like the one directly in the center of the small of Felix's back, are gone from the page.

It makes Sylvain uneasy to know that someone else can find the parts of Felix that Sylvain loves so much imperfect enough to erase. It is this thought that sours his mood when Sylvain finds himself quietly upset by Felix's job rather than how convincingly Felix plays Hugo. It makes Sylvain want to love Felix even harder to make up for anyone who thinks that Felix is blemished.

He continues flipping through the photobook, gazing intently at a shot of Felix looking blissed out in front of a mirror, a loose silk robe falling off his shoulders, as Ferdinand brushes his hair with a silver boar bristle brush. In real life, Sylvain had to beg Felix not to yank through it with a plastic comb from the dollar store. 

Sylvain’s thoughts are interrupted when Felix storms into the living room and throws himself into their massive armchair, an ugly thing with hideous green brocade upholstery that Felix found in a secondhand shop when he was in college. Sylvain still can’t get him to throw it away.

“So Dimitri finally called you, huh?” Sylvain asks without looking up from the book. 

“You’re the worst,” Felix responds, his lips in a flat line. “You could have warned me.” 

They'd grown up with Dimitri, the only son of Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, the late CEO of Blaiddyd Corp. who had expanded it from a local manufacturing company into a massive, nationwide conglomeration that had its claws in various industries through mergers and acquisitions, including Felix’s father’s company. Lambert died when Dimitri and Felix were 13 and left the company to a board that Felix's father sits on, but Dimitri took over as CEO after he graduated from a 5-year business program that combined both his Bachelor’s and MBA degrees.

"You knew it was going to come up eventually," Sylvain points out with a sigh.

"I don't want anything to do with my father's company," Felix bites out, clutching the black cushion that Sylvain chose for that armchair in an attempt to cover up the eye-searing pattern a little. "I make good money without having to suck up to the boar at weekly meetings."

"You do," Sylvain agrees, putting the photobook on the coffee table. Felix narrows his eyes, sensing the Talk to come. "But do you want to keep doing this job forever?"

"You just don't want me to keep sleeping with Ferdinand," Felix snorts, tossing his legs over one of the arms and settling in sideways, his eyes on the ceiling instead of on Sylvain.

"You know I don't object to what you do for work," Sylvain replies, pinching the bridge of his nose with slight frustration. "And I know you don't want anything to do with the company after what happened with Glenn--."

"Don't finish that sentence if you don't want a black eye."

Sylvain stands, his hands held up in a sign of surrender. "Fine. I shouldn't have butted in. Do what you want."

Sylvain disappears into the kitchen, leaving Felix with a hard ball of angry feelings sitting in the pit of his stomach, making him nauseated. The Fraldariuses had run a security company for generations and both Felix and his brother Glenn had trained in various types of martial arts, both armed and unarmed, with the expectation that they'd both be working at the company as adults.

But things don’t always go as planned.

Felix pulls out his phone again, glaring at the message Dimitri had sent him.

_Hello, Felix. How have you been?  
I'm writing to invite you to the monthly board meeting next month. There are a few topics on the table that I feel you may be interested in as some of it concerns Fraldarius Security.  
Of course, Rodrigue will also be in attendance. He says he hopes to see you there as well.  
Please give my regards to Sylvain. If you both are amenable, I would also like to meet up with you soon for coffee or a meal.  
Looking forward to seeing you.  
Best,  
Dimitri_

The fact that Dimitri writes his _text messages_ like emails makes anger rise up within Felix like lava ready to erupt from a volcano. He throws his phone hard towards the couch Sylvain vacated before rubbing his hands roughly over his face.

Felix had studied IT in college with the expectation that Glenn would end up taking over the company. The plan had been that Glenn would be CEO and Felix would take over the IT department, commanding the digital side of the company, a position important enough that he could act as Glenn’s right-hand man. Felix graduated with his degree, but not long after, Glenn died violently protecting one of their clients. Rodrigue had praised him for doing what was expected of him as a bodyguard and Felix withdrew from Fraldarius Security entirely.

Doing porn hadn't been Felix's first choice of career, but after Glenn's death, it was the first thing he could think of that would simultaneously anger and disappoint his father. _No, I will not be inheriting your company,_ Felix had imagined saying to Rodrigue back then. _I'm going to embark on a career of making videos of me_ in flagrante _with another man._

Honestly, Felix likes his job. It has its challenges -- dealing with Ferdinand and his pretentiousness on a near-daily basis is one of them -- but it pays well and suits Felix much better than a 9-5 in some stuffy office. He doesn’t really get the hype over how he and Ferdinand look together, but it seems to make a lot of people happy, so he keeps his hair long and his skin moisturized using the products Sylvain bought for him.

Felix stares up at the textured ceiling, his eyes unfocused. He has years of martial arts accolades under his belt, the fruits of his labor physically apparent in the scars marking his body that always got edited out in photos. Now he only ever fights during his frequent visits to the gym or dojo, keeping his skills honed -- but for what? He truly does enjoy the act of fighting, so much so that he once considered enlisting and becoming a soldier, but that would be a role too beneficial on his resume for his father to be able to resist bragging about. 

Felix became a porn star to piss off his father. It’s such a cliche that he likes to deny it when people (Ingrid, another childhood friend) accuse him of it, but it’s the actual truth. 

Felix growls, throwing the cushion across the room and jumping off the armchair. “I’m going to the gym,” he calls to Sylvain, grabbing his always-packed gym bag that he leaves by the door, and slams the door behind him before waiting for a response.

Sylvain sighs from the kitchen, a half-fileted fish in front of him on a chopping board. 

\--- 

In the end, it’s Sylvain who meets up with Dimitri. They’re at a raucous beer garden, mostly because Dimitri likes the cheese and sausage dishes and they have a good craft beer selection that Sylvain enjoys. Dimitri usually doesn’t bother drinking alcohol since he can’t taste it anyway, though he gets ginger beer for the spiciness. Sylvain always gets a citrus pale ale to start with, along with his favorite line: “goes down smooth, just like me with the ladies.” He always winks at Felix when he says it just to see Felix roll his eyes.

“Is Felix not coming?” Dimitri inquires, his tone polite, after they place their orders.

“Felix, uh...sends his regards,” Sylvain replies sheepishly. 

Dimitri smiles a little and just shakes his head. “No, he doesn’t.”

“You’re right, he doesn’t. Sorry.” Sylvain shrugs. “He got your text and stormed out of the house. He’s still not interested in doing anything with the company.”

“I figured he wouldn’t be.” Dimitri cuts a sausage in half while Sylvain marvels. They’re in a beer garden with drunk guys bellowing and the floor is sticky with alcohol and who knows what else, but Dimitri’s table manners are so impeccable he might as well be in a five-star French restaurant. “I know he’s still not over what happened to Glenn,” Dimitri continues, dipping the bite of sausage on his fork into some mustard. “But Rodrigue is beginning to worry about the fate of the company. He doesn’t want to leave it to someone the board chooses, though he won’t have any other choice if Felix doesn’t step up to be the one he nominates.”

“I don’t think Felix cares, buddy,” Sylvain sighs. “He likes his job well enough, but more importantly, he hates the idea of doing what his dad would like him to do. Even if I told him to talk to you about it, it’s not like you’d be able to smack any sense into him.”

“I suppose not.” Dimitri spears a piece of cheese and closes his eyes as he tries to savor the sharpness. Sylvain has always felt a little bad about eating around Dimitri, though he’ll never be able to tell him that. 

“You could always just buy out Aubin Productions,” Sylvain jokes, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. “That’s one way to get him to work for you.”

Dimitri smiles a little bit, but shakes his head. “I’ve heard stories about what Yuri Leclerc is like in business. I don’t have the confidence that I’ll be able to make a satisfying deal.”

“That’s fair,” Sylvain allows. “Yuri can be pretty scary. Anyway, how’s Byleth? Felix hasn’t said anything about her in awhile.”

“She told me they haven’t seen each other lately.” Dimitri’s fiancée, Byleth, goes to the same dojo as Felix. Sylvain admires Dimitri for managing to find a life partner even scarier than Felix; Byleth is very nice but she could also murder Sylvain without breaking a sweat.

"Felix has been alternating between the dojo and the gym more often, I think." Sylvain thinks back to how Felix has packed his bag lately: his workout clothes haven’t changed, but he used to bring his favorite training sword or gauntlets when he was going to the dojo.

"According to Byleth, Seteth has been concerned about Felix. He says his form has been sloppy and that he's been careless." Seteth owns the dojo; he's another one who doesn't seem to suit his job from Sylvain's point of view, but according to Felix and Byleth, he's very good at running the facility and keeping the weapons in good condition. He rarely teaches, but when he does, his axe-wielding classes are quite popular.

"He's had a lot on his mind," Sylvain sighs, finishing his beer with a long gulp. "They just published a new photobook and Ferdinand has been driving him insane, as usual."

Dimitri's expression always turns odd at the mention of Felix's work. He'd sat down with Sylvain not long after he'd learned of Felix's job; Dimitri didn't understand how Sylvain could accept Felix sleeping with another man for public consumption. No matter how long they talked about it, Dimitri couldn't wrap his head around the concept and had given up, vowing just to support Felix even if it made no sense to him.

"Hopefully things calm down for him soon," Dimitri says delicately, taking a bite of hard Gautier cheese. "Speaking of someone with a busy job, Claude is beginning a new venture. He's looking for staff, if there's anyone you know who might be interested."

"What's he doing now?" Sylvain grins, leaning in on his elbows with interest. Claude von Riegen was one of their classmates from university, a slippery little fellow who always had an interesting idea he was working on. No one was really sure of his background other than the fact that he was an international student who always flew home for Eid al-Fitr, the only clue Sylvain had. (Byleth seems to know more, but she's never chosen to share.) Back then, he’d started up an app that registered where you parked your car and the Byzantine campus parking laws related to that spot -- it even gave you warnings for when you were about to violate any kind of time-related parking rule. It was a hit and was bought out by a local company that developed it even further, making Claude fairly rich at a young age.

"A marijuana delivery service," Dimitri sighs, but he has an amused look on his face. "He said Hilda begged him to make it."

"Is it too late to buy in, be his partner?" Sylvain strokes his chin as though he's thinking seriously.

"Aren't you too busy with your job?"

"I suppose so. Cybersecurity is pretty much a 24/7 position," Sylvain groans. "Plus, we're trying to work on a more affordable but robust antivirus program to distribute in schools in lower income neighborhoods, but the board is busting my ass over the price. I'd rather just give it away for free."

Dimitri looks sympathetic, and Sylvain knows he is. There aren't many other people who understand the difficulties of working with a board full of old people who refuse to listen to the young whippersnappers in charge. "I can always buy their shares and give them to you," Dimitri offers, but Sylvain immediately shakes his head. It isn't the first time Dimitri's offered.

"You know I appreciate the thought, but the only way I can stick it to my old man is to handle all of this myself," Sylvain replies, to which Dimitri nods with understanding.

“It’s a shame he’s always blocking what you’d like to do,” Dimitri sighs, taking a sip of his ginger beer. “You have such good ideas that could change the world if he would only let you.”

“He’s a typical capitalist,” Sylvain laughs, but there’s no cheer in it. “The most he’d let me do without an argument is put these schools on a payment plan that has hidden interest fees in it. I’m not about to bankrupt a whole city school system just because he wants a third yacht.”

He waves a hand in the air as if to clear it physically from the bad vibes. "But let's stop talking about work. Let's get more food!"

"I'd like the saghert and cream," Dimitri says shyly, and Sylvain leans over to slap him on the shoulder affectionately. 

"You can have as much of that as you want, my friend."

\---

It's a sunny day when Felix meets Ferdinand in a small cafe tucked down a narrow alley. The cobblestone street is winding and the cafe's front is covered in so much ivy it's very easy to miss it. The bell above the door tinkles when Felix walks in, immediately greeted by the sight of a small room with only a few wooden tables, each decorated with fresh flowers, with Ferdinand seated at one.

"I already ordered you a black coffee," Ferdinand says when Felix approaches. They wouldn't call each other friends, but they both acknowledge that their relationship is something that can't be named. Costars, yes -- but also something more than that.

"Thanks," Felix replies begrudgingly, looking down at the table as he waits. It's rare for Ferdinand to ask him to meet. Ferdinand's hair is piled up high on his head and he's in a simple white button-down and a black jacket, smart business casual, and Felix has no idea what he wants to talk about.

They sit in silence until a china teapot full of Seiros tea is set down in front of Ferdinand and a rich, steaming mug of coffee is set in front of Felix. Felix picks up the mug, inhaling the aroma while it's much too hot to drink.

"Dorothea and I are going to have a baby," Ferdinand blurts, breaking the silence. Between them, steam from their drinks rises into the air and Felix wonders if that's what is making Ferdinand's face look so hazy.

"Congratulations," Felix mutters, shifting in his seat. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You're the first one besides our family to know," Ferdinand admits, stirring his tea. Felix knows that the single cube of sugar Ferdinand had used has already dissolved and Ferdinand is simply trying to divert his nervous energy. 

"I'm...I'm going to quit being Ayr."

Felix had been waiting for those words ever since Ferdinand and Dorothea had gotten engaged a year and a half ago. They'd already casually been together when Ayr and Hugo first started, and Felix had watched their relationship develop into something more serious since then. Honestly, he'd been waiting for this.

"What are you going to do for work?" Felix finally asks, sipping his steaming coffee. It burns his tongue but he can't bring himself to care.

"I haven't spoken to Yuri officially yet, but we had previously discussed my working in marketing or production. I would like to stay with Aubin Productions in some manner."

Felix nods. "Sounds like a plan."

Ferdinand stares at Felix's face. "A-aren't you upset?"

Felix shrugs, sipping at his too-hot coffee. "It was always going to end. I've been thinking that I need a change soon, anyway. I think this is good timing for both of us."

He takes a glance at Ferdinand's face, lets his eyes roam over the furrows in his worried brow, the small downturn of his lips.

Felix smiles a little. "I hope you have a girl and that she looks like Dorothea."

Ferdinand relaxes, a big grin stretching over his face. "I hope so, too." He clinks his teacup to Felix's before taking a long drink that Felix knows means relief.

\---

Things move fast after Ferdinand tells Yuri, as they always do. Yuri is not a man who wastes time.

Ayr and Hugo are to make one last video, a sad farewell to each other and their fans. The story is that Ayr has to leave for a nameless country halfway around the world, and he'd prefer to break things off cleanly with Hugo to help his heart mend rather than keep their love long-distance and full of yearning.

Felix thinks it's ridiculous. Couldn't they simply put up a "we broke up" announcement on the homepage? (There's no profit in that, Yuri reminded him when he crankily suggested it.)

They film in a darkened room, mood lighting painting blue shadows over Ferdinand's body as they explore each other thoroughly one last time. Felix knows every scar, every freckle on Ferdinand's body as well as he knows Sylvain's, and it's kind of eerie to be following the roadmap of Ferdinand's muscles for what he knows to be the final time.

After they're cleaned up and simply holding each other in the soft bed, Felix's chin nestled on the top of Ferdinand's hair, Ferdinand begins to cry softly into Felix's chest. It isn't scripted, but Felix gets it. He gently tightens his arms around Ferdinand and drops a soft kiss into his hair, the last they'll ever share.

\---

"Welcome to unemployment," Sylvain greets Felix when he arrives after that last scene, mixing a whiskey and Coke just the way Felix likes it. Both Felix and Ferdinand had declined Yuri's invitation to go out for a final staff dinner; neither of them were in a partying mood.

Felix doesn't respond, though. He simply makes his way over to the couch and lies on it face-down.

Sylvain puts the cocktail on the blue coaster sitting on their glass coffee table before he kneels down by the couch, stroking Felix's back. "You did good, Fe."

"I didn't expect to feel like this," Felix grumbles into the paisley cushion Sylvain painstakingly picked out to match the dark gray leather of their couch. "It's just a stupid job."

"It's kind of more than a stupid job," Sylvain points out, pressing a soft kiss to Felix's upper arm, the nearest part of him. "You and Ferdinand have probably done it more often in the past few years than we have. This was just as much your breakup with him as it was Ayr and Hugo's."

"That's dumb," Felix grumbles, but when he sits up, Sylvain can see the sadness in the lines beneath his eyes.

"Have a drink, babe," Sylvain gives him the whiskey, along with a kiss on his cheek. "We can take it easy tonight."

Felix simply nods and curls up on the couch, nursing his drink. Sylvain slides in next to him, dropping an arm around his shoulders, and Felix leans into his warmth.

\---

The next morning, Felix slides out of bed, washes his face, and immediately heads for the dojo.

"Hi," Byleth says when he walks in, already dressed in the tank top and shorts she always fights in. "I've been waiting for you."

Felix has known her long enough to tell that she looks pleased to see him, even though her expression has barely changed. "Try to give me a run for my money," Felix replies with a sideways smile, already beginning to stretch out his shoulders even though he hasn't properly stored his bag.

Fighting with Byleth is one of the most exhilarating experiences Felix has. He rarely wins against her -- he was trained by the best masters the Fraldarius family could buy, but she learned from her father, a renowned ex-professional MMA fighter known as the Blade Breaker, so she fights _dirty_. Felix admires that and tries to mimic her moves, but she always seems to be two steps ahead of him. She's one of the few fighters at their dojo who can keep Felix on his toes.

They spar for hours, finally giving up after Byleth beats him three times. He had narrowly defeated her once and their last time ended in a draw, revealing how tired they both were by then.

"Thanks," Felix says as they towel off their weapons. His black T-shirt sticks to him, but he feels better than he has in weeks, like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders.

"No problem. By the way, you should call Claude." Byleth pats Felix on the shoulder, then disappears into the women's locker room. Felix simply raises an eyebrow then shakes his head. She's not an easy woman to understand, though that's part of what makes her such a fantastic sparring partner. Her expressions nor her gestures give off any hints of what she's going to do next, so Felix is constantly trying to decipher the small changes of her face or the meaning behind her cryptic words. He's not very good at it.

Still, she’s one of the few people he’ll take advice from, so he calls Claude after he showers and changes. The sun is still high in the sky and it’s a weekday, but he knows Claude doesn’t work normal hours.

“Byleth told me to call you,” Felix says the moment Claude picks up the phone.

“Great!” Claude replies, the cheer in his voice making Felix’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “I was just going to get lunch if you’d like to join me. My treat.”

Felix groans a little. “Fine, but this better not take forever.”

“I know you’re a busy man,” Claude says. “We can meet at the Brigidian place by my apartment. How long will it take you to get there?”

“I’m at the dojo, so about twenty minutes.”

“Perfect! See you soon!” Claude hangs up and Felix sighs, hoisting his gym bag over his shoulder and starting the walk out of the commercial center of the city and toward an area full of old brownstones and the occasional cobblestoned alley. Claude had bought a home listed on the city’s historical registry not long after graduation and Sylvain once said he’d paid for it upfront in cash, though how true that was, Felix didn’t know..

Felix had visited a few times. Claude lives with his girlfriend, Petra, and they’d decorated the place in traditional furnishings from Almyra and Brigid, the countries they immigrated from. It led to a lot of ornamental yet functional weapons on the walls, something Felix appreciated.

The Brigidian restaurant is a little shop that seems out of place in such an upscale neighborhood, but Felix knows that’s why Claude loves it so much. It’s a no-frills kind of place, with the only decorations on the walls being the name of the restaurant hand-stenciled on the wall and some statues of various nature gods. The menu is simple and consists only of signs hanging over the counter.

“I ordered a bunch of small plates for us, so you can just pick whatever you want when they get here,” Claude informs him when Felix sits down, sliding a cold glass of water over at him. Felix takes it and immediately downs half of it.

“What do you want?” Felix puts the glass down on the plastic-covered table with a sticky clack. The condensation from the glass drips into a little pool.

“You know how to program, right?” They had shared some classes together and Claude had participated in some of the many study sessions where Felix spent most of his time cursing whatever program he’d been working on. This was not a question of curiosity.

“Yeah. You know I do. So?” 

Claude leans in with a charming grin that he knows won’t work. “I heard you’re unemployed. Shame, you did such good work at Yuri’s! But I have an offer for you.”

Felix just stares at Claude, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m starting a new venture and I need an app for it. It’ll be a delivery service, so something with a map, directions, an internal messaging system, the works. If you want, you’ll be in charge of app development. You can set up your own team and have complete freedom as long as it does what I need it to do.” Claude smiles up at the waitress as she steps up to their table, a platter full of small plates in her hands.

The dishes are mostly meat-filled. Claude is trying to butter Felix up and Felix can feel his resolve weakening.

“Do I have to work in an office?” Felix asks suspiciously as he spears some spiced Duscur bear meat with his fork. 

“Nope. You don’t even have to work 9-5 as long as everything gets done.” Claude takes a huge bite of a stewed rabbit dish. 

Felix looks pensive. Claude swallows his mouthful of food, then sits back to gaze at Felix. “Actually, we’d be partners,” he admits. “I’ll be the main investor, but decisions will be made 50/50.”

“Why would you trust me that much? I don’t know what this business is,” Felix points out, trying the pheasant next. “You’re a programmer yourself. Why don’t you do it? We don’t even talk all that much anymore.”

“I suppose that’s true. We don’t have as many opportunities to talk one-on-one like we used to.” Claude hums, shrugging a little bit. “Though we know each other well enough. More importantly, I know what you’re capable of, Felix. I remember your programming projects back in college. You’ll get things done, and that’s what I need.” 

Felix sighs and reaches for a fish dango. “Fine. I’ll consider it. Start talking in more detail so I can make my choice.”

“Great!” Claude perks up and leans back in. “So it’s a delivery service for weed…”

\---

Felix is stirring soup on the stove when Sylvain comes home that night. Felix rarely cooks and when he does, he makes very simple meals, mostly because it’s a pain. The warm aroma of vegetable beef soup wraps around Sylvain as he pulls his shoes off at the entrance, making him smile.

He doesn’t miss living alone and coming home to a cold, silent, dark apartment.

“Hi, my love,” Sylvain says as he steps into the kitchen, wrapping his arms tightly around Felix from behind. “That smells great.”

“It’s just some stuff in a pot,” Felix scoffs, but he leans back into Sylvain’s embrace. “Did you get bread?”

“Yeah, got some of those nice crusty rolls from the bakery near work.” Sylvain noses at Felix’s neck, leaving soft kisses along the line of wispy hairs escaping from his updo. “Though I don’t think I want dinner right now.”

Felix smiles slightly, Sylvain’s face buried in his shoulder as he gently worries at the skin there with his teeth. “Too bad.” He gently slaps the top of Sylvain’s head before pushing him away. “You’re gonna eat this.”

“Fine, as long as you promise me dessert,” Sylvain says with a final nip to Felix’s neck, stepping away to set the table. If it were up to Felix, they’d just eat out of bowls standing up in the kitchen, but Sylvain is a stickler.

"I hate sweets," Felix replies in a deadpan tone, but he ladles out two bowls and puts the steaming soup at the table settings Sylvain had set down on their cozy kitchen table. It's more of a nook, small and meant only for the two of them to enjoy intimate meals together. There's a dining table in the living room that could accommodate Dimitri's bulk and Ingrid's appetite for when friends visited, but the kitchen table is theirs alone.

"You should talk to Claude," Sylvain says conversationally as he spreads too much butter on one of his slices of bread. "Dimitri said he had something he wanted to talk to you about."

Felix smirks as he takes a bite of his soup; he always cuts the beef far too big, but he savors the feeling of his teeth tearing the meat apart. It does mean that his soups are chewed rather than drank, though. "Claude and I are business partners now."

Sylvain blinks at him, the broth in his spoon trembling dangerously as he pauses with his hand in mid-air. "What?"

"We already talked. He asked me to join his new venture, so I did. He does the marketing, I do the app development. We're in business." There is a dark glee on Felix's face; he loves getting the upper-hand on Sylvain, especially when Sylvain doesn't realize that they were playing a game in the first place.

"Oh." Sylvain thoughtfully brings the spoon to his mouth, then does it again. "I didn't think you'd be that interested in working for a pot delivery service."

Felix shrugs. "I don't really care about what the business is, but I'm basically my own boss. I can pick my own team."

"Claude's a programmer, too, right? Why doesn't he do it?" Sylvain and Claude get along quite well with their shared hobbies like chess and flirting, but Sylvain doesn't pretend to be able to read him.

"He wants to stay firmly on the business side and leave the development to someone else. For some reason, he decided that he could trust me with it." Felix tears a piece of bread apart, the crust scattering crisp flakes over the green tablecloth. "So I agreed."

Sylvain hums, dipping his own bread into his soup. "Sounds like a good deal. You should probably tell Dimitri."

Felix snorts and rolls his eyes. "It's none of his business." But Sylvain knows that he'll send Dimitri a terse text message telling him that he has a new job, if only so Dimitri will stop inviting him to board meetings.

Sylvain has a bowl of peach sorbet while Felix drinks a small cup of coffee to round out their meal. They do the dishes together, hips bumping as Sylvain washes and Felix dries, working in companionable silence. They lie on each other on the couch as they watch an old kung-fu movie, Felix focused on the stunts and Sylvain focused on Felix.

When they go to bed, neither of them bother putting on pajamas. Instead, they both undress and collapse against each other, Sylvain's hands pulling on Felix's hair as Felix leaves angry red scratches down Sylvain's back that will turn into welts tomorrow.

Afterwards, Felix nestles against Sylvain, his back to Sylvain's broad chest. "Are you going to work from home?" Sylvain asks, his arm around Felix's body and his fingers playing with Felix's.

"Yeah, probably," Felix replies, his voice low and soft in a way that Sylvain only hears late at night when Felix is tired and well-fucked. "I don't know what Claude wants to do about an office but I don't really care."

Sylvain smiles at that but he suddenly leans away from Felix, turning over to rummage in his bedside drawer.

"What the fuck?" Felix asks, turning his head to see Sylvain propped up on one elbow as he shuts the drawer. Felix's back is suddenly cold, exposed to the cool air of their bedroom, but Sylvain quickly comes back to his previous position.

"Sorry," Sylvain says, a slight hitch in his voice that wasn't there before. "I just..."

Felix's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"Sylvain?" he asks, but Sylvain lifts Felix's left wrist off the bed. He feels something cold against it and when he pulls his wrist back, there's a silver tennis bracelet studded with garnets and diamonds clasped around it.

"I know you're not really a ring person. I wanted to give this to you when I got the board to agree to my school software pricing," Sylvain says, his voice quiet. Felix thinks he hears a tinge of fear in it but he doesn't understand why. "I figured that if I had the power to really take over the company and make it my own, then I would be able to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me."

Felix can only stare at the bracelet.

"But you ended up leaving Aubin and now you're going into business with Claude and..." Sylvain huffs, shoving his bangs off his face in a way that Felix knows he only does when he's embarrassed. "It doesn't matter if I'm powerless because you're always so much stronger than me, anyway. Felix..." Sylvain traces the line of the bracelet around Felix's wrist. "Will you marry me?"

Felix tears his eyes away from the bracelet and glares at Sylvain. "You didn't pick now to do this because I'm not a porn star anymore, did you?"

"No! Goddess, Felix, of course not," Sylvain groans. "You know better than anyone that I didn't mind your job. It's not about _what_ your job was. You just...you always go ahead and grab what you want. You make me want to do the same."

"Jackass." Felix pulls away from Sylvain and gets out of the bed. Sylvain sits up in a panic, his body wound up with nervous energy. So much for that orgasm. "Felix, are you--"

"Shut up," Felix replies, grabbing something out of his bag before coming back to the bed.

Fellix knows Sylvain well enough to tell that his heart is beating at a million miles a minute. His eyes roam over Felix's face and body, utter confusion written all over his face.

"I wasn't waiting for some sort of bullshit life event or anything," Felix warns, settling cross-legged on the bed in front of Sylvain with something in his hand. "It's order-made and I finally got to pick it up yesterday. Was gonna give it to you this weekend."

He grabs Sylvain's left hand roughly and slides a black metal band with a line of blue gems down the center on Sylvain's ring finger. "Who else would I spend the rest of my life with if it isn't you?" Felix asks, his voice gentler than it's ever been.

The look on Sylvain’s face says: _I would move mountains for you_.

Instead, he grabs Felix by the waist and pulls him in for a kiss, swallowing Felix's soft laughter with his own.

\---

Three years later, Felix finds himself walking down an Aubin Productions hallway with Ferdinand by his side. They’re in their old silk robes and Felix is kind of unsettled by how easy it is for them to slip back into Ayr and Hugo.

Yuri had asked them to star in a reunion video commemorating Aubin Productions’ eighth anniversary. It’s just a one time thing: Ayr and Hugo coincidentally run into each other in a foreign country where Hugo is traveling on vacation and Ayr has settled in after moving again. 

To be honest, Felix had been surprised when he received the call.Ferdinand had seemed like he was living a life of utter bliss producing photobooks for Aubin and spending all his free time with Dorothea and their toddler, a little redheaded girl who looks just like Dorothea but always has a serious expression on her face as though she’s wise beyond her years. But Ferdinand had wanted to do it and Felix couldn’t deny that he kind of missed playing Hugo, just a little.

“Sounds like fun,” Sylvain had said when he heard. “It’ll add some spice to your life.” He winked, then, and didn’t even complain when Felix punched him in the shoulder. 

For the film, Felix removes his wedding band -- something he doesn’t usually do --, but his engagement bracelet glitters on his wrist as Hugo pulls Ayr to him. 

“I love you, but I don’t think I’m in love with you anymore,” Hugo says wonderingly to Ayr as they curl up together on the sofa where they just made love. Ayr wraps a big soft blanket around the two of them.

“I feel the same way,” he says, dropping a kiss on Hugo’s cheek.

They celebrate the end of the shoot with a champagne toast along with the staff, many of whom were their staff from years ago. There is something about Yuri that makes people want to be loyal to him, so Aubin Productions has many staff members that have been around from the beginning. Maybe that’s why it was so easy for Hugo and Ayr to come back from where they’d been resting dormant within Felix and Ferdinand.

When they leave the shoot and head back to their dressing rooms, they pass by Linhardt, sauntering his way to one of the studios and wearing his own shiny green silk robe.

Felix and Ferdinand blink at each other in bewilderment before they both start to laugh.


End file.
